>>> MAY IS RECOGNIZED AS ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER MONTH.
AND IN HONOR OF THIS THE ERIC CARLE MUSEUM IN AMHERST HAS
LAUNCHED A VIRTUAL EXHIBIT ENTITLED "ASIANS EVERY DAY."
THE EXHIBIT FEE CULTURES ARTWORK THAT DEPICT ASIAN AMERICANS
LIVING THEIR EVERY DAY LIVES AND HIGHLIGHTS THE COMMONALITIES WE
SHARE AND SHOWCASING POSITIVE ASIAN AMERICAN REPRESENTATION.
IT'S A SUBJECT THAT HITS CLOSE TO HOME FOR AUTHOR, ILLUSTRATOR
AND EXHIBIT CUE ARE CURATOR LISTS LINN AND WE SPOKE ABOUT
THE PERSON EXPERIENCE WITH HER DAUGHTER INSPIRED THE EXHIBIT.
>> MY DAUGHTER RETURNED TO IN PERSON SCHOOL AFTER THIS LONG
TIME BEING AWAY DURING THE PANDEMIC.
AND DURING HER VERY FIRST WEEK AT SCHOOL, DURING LUNCH, A
CLASSMATE SAID, THAT THEY HATED ASIANS.
AND, WELL, THEY ACTUALLY SAID THEY HATED CHINESE PEOPLE.
AND THAT THE CHINESE STARTED THE CORONAVIRUS.
AND, OF COURSE, I WAS VERY, VERY UPSET WHEN I HEARD THIS.
AND I REALIZED THAT I WAS IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO HOPEFULLY
HELP CHANGE MINDS OF YOUNG CHILDREN, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE
WAYS THAT I DECIDED TO TRY TO DO THAT.
>> SINCE THE ON SET OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC THAT
STARTED LAST MARCH, THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 6600 HATE INCIDENTS
AGAINST THE ASIAN COMMUNITY ACCORDING TO HATE.ORG.
IN LIGHT OF THAT HOW IMPORTANT ARE EXHIBITIONS LIKE THESE IN
CHANGING THAT NARRATIVE? >> I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE HAVE SO MUCH ANTI-ASIAN HATE IS
BECAUSE THE STORY THAT HAS FUELED IT HAS PORTRAYED ASIANS
AS PERPETUAL FORENNERS, AS PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO CAUSE
HARM. AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE A REAL
RESPONSIBILITY TO CHANGE THAT NARRATIVE, TO SHOW THAT THERE
ARE MANY ASIANS WHO ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL FOREIGNERS BUT
ASIANS ARE ACTUALLY A PART OF OUR EVERY DAY LIFE.
>> SO THERE ARE 26 BOOKS IN THIS EXHIBIT.
WHAT WAS THE PROCESS IN SELECTING THEM?
AND WHY DID THESE SPEAK TO YOU SPECIFICALLY?
>> IN THE PAST THERE'S BEEN AN EMPHASIS ON SHOWING ASIANS AT
LUNAR YEAR YEAR, AND THOSE ARE GREAT BUT I WANTED TO EMPHASIZE
THAT ASIANS ARE PART OF MAINSTREAM AMERICA.
AND HOW THAT ASIANS WE ARE YOUR FRIENDS.
WE HAVE YOUR FAMILIES. WE DO ALL THE SAME THINGS THAT
YOU DO. AND THAT WE ARE NOT YOUR
ENEMIES. AND I FELT LIKE CHOOSING BOOKS
THAT SHOW CONTEMPORARY ASIAN AMERICAN LIVES BY ASIAN AMERICAN
CREATORS WOULD DO A LOT TO CREATE THAT NARRATIVE.
>> YOU GREW UP IN UPSTATE NEW YORK AND HAD MENTIONED THAT YOU
WERE THE ONLY ASIAN IN YOUR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CLASS.
AND AT THE TIME DIVERSITY WAS APPROACHED THROUGH A COLOR BLIND
LENS. HOW DID THAT APPROACH IMPACT YOU
AND THE WORK THAT YOU DO AS AN AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR?
>> I GREW UP IN UPSTATE NEW YORK WHERE I WAS CONTINUINGLY THE
ONLY ASIAN PERSON IN MY CLASS YEAR AFTER YEAR.
AND SO WHILE I UNDERSTOOD THE IDEA OF TRYING TO MAKE KIDS
COLOR BLIND, THE TRUTH IS, AS THE ONLY ASIAN IN THE CLASSROOM,
I NEVER FELT COLORLESS. IN FACT, I FELT LIKE I HAD THE
SECRET THAT NOBODY EVER TALKED ABOUT BUT WE ALL KNEW, EVERYONE
KNEW I WAS ASIAN. BUT WE DON'T TALK ABOUT IT
BECAUSE IT WAS THAT SHAMEFUL. IF ANYTHING, IT GAVE ME A DEEPER
SENSE OF SHAME BECAUSE WE NEVER TALKED ABOUT IT.
>> YOU HAVE BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR DIVERSITY AND HAVE RECEIVED MANY
AWARDS FOR YOUR WORK AS AN AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR INCLUDING
BEING RECOGNIZED IN 2016 BY THE BOMB ADMINISTRATION AS A
CHAMPION -- OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AS A CHAMPION OF CHANGE FOR
ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDERS ART AND STORY TELLING.
WHEN CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO PICK UP A BOOK AND SEE THAT
REPRESENTATION OF THEIR BACKGROUND, WHAT DOES THAT DO
FOR THEM? >> WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHILDREN'S
BOOKS WE TALK A LOT ABOUT WINDOWS AND MIRRORS.
AND WE TALK ABOUT HOW IT'S OZO IMPORTANT THAT CHILDREN ARE ABLE
TO SEE A REFLECTION OF THEMSELVES IN THE BOOKS THEY
READ AS WELL AS SEE THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
UNFORTUNATELY, FOR MANY MARGINALIZED CHILDREN, THEY ARE
ALMOST ALWAYS JUST SEEING WINDOWS.
THEY ARE ALWAYS SEEING THE WORLD OUTSIDE OF THEM.
AND THEY ARE VERY RARELY SEEING A REFLECTION OF THEMSELVES.
AND WHEN THIS HAPPENS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, WE NEVER SEE A
CHARACTER IN A BOOK THAT LOOKS LIKE YOU.
YOU START FEELING INVISIBLE OR SHAMED OF WHO YOU ARE.
BOOK, BEING ABLE TO SEE YOURSELF, SOMEONE THAT LOOKS
LIKE YOU AS A HERO, THAT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE YOU CAN BE
IMPORTANT, YOU CAN HAVE AGENCY IN YOUR LIFE.
SO THAT'S WHY THESE KIND OF BOOKS ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
BUT THEY'RE ALSO IMPORTANT FOR NON-ASIAN KIDS BECAUSE IT'S VERY
IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO SEE THE WORLD FROM ANOTHER STANDPOINT.
OTHERWISE HOW CAN WE EXPECT PEOPLE TO EMPATHIZE AND CARE
ABOUT EACH OTHER? >> THAT BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT
QUESTION. YOU SAID A QUOTE IN THE EYE
"BOSTON GLOBE" EYE EYE THAT PEOPLE CAN RESONATE W YOU SAID
IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO FEEL SO AMERICAN ON THE INSIDE AND YET
YOU REALIZE THAT SO FEW SEE YOU THAT WAY BECAUSE OF HOW YOU
LOOK. SO HOW CAN PARENTS AND
CAREGIVERS AND EVERYONE IN GENERAL ENCOURAGE CHILDREN TO
EXPLORE BOOKS ABOUT DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND CULTURE SO THEY
CAN SEE THE SIMILARITIES AND ALSO CELEBRATE THE DIFFERENCES?
>> WELL, I THINK THAT'S THE WHOLE REASON WHY THIS EXHIBIT IS
CALLED "ASIANS EVERY DAY." I THINK HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES, WE HAVE A BAD HABIT OF LOOKING AT BOOKS ABOUT ASIANS
DURING LUNAR NEW YEAR. WE LOOK AT BOOKS ABOUT BLACK
PEOPLE DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH.
AND THAT'S NOT THE WAY WE LIVE. WE ARE ASIAN EVERY DAY.
PEOPLE ARE BLACK PEOPLE EVERY DAY.
AND WE ARE PART OF SOCIETY EVERY DAY.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE SHOW ASIANS, WE
SHOW MARGINALIZED PEOPLE EVERY DAY IN THE BOOKS WE READ AND ALL
THE MEDIA THAT WE LET OUR KIDS CONSUMER.
>> THERE WERE TIMES EARLY ON IN YOUR CAREER WHEN YOU QUESTIONED
THE WHETHER OR NOT YOU WANTED TO BE CONSIDERED AS A
"MULTI-CULTURAL AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR."
DO YOU STILL HAVE THOSE RESERVATIONS AT THIS POINT IN
YOUR CAREER? AND WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR
OTHERS THAT MAY FEEL BOXED IN AS PART OF THEIR CULTURAL
BACKGROUNDS? >> PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE
PIGEONHOLED AS A MULTI-CULTURAL AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR.
THEY FEEL LIKE THAT MEANS THEIR BOOKS WILL ONLY APPEAL TO A
CERTAIN SEGMENT OF THE POPULATION.
THAT THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY WILL ONLY SUPPORT IT SO MUCH
BECAUSE IT WILL NEVER BE LIKE A BESTSELLER.
AND ALSO THERE'S THE OTHER SIDE WHERE THEY FEEL THAT OTHERS
MIGHT LOOK AT THEM AND THINK THAT THEY'RE ONLY GETTING
PUBLISHED BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE OR THEIR NATIONALITY OR THEIR
ETHNICITY. AND THOSE ARE REALLY HARD PLACES
TO BE AS A CREATOR. I WOULD ENCOURAGE ANY CREATORS
WHO ARE TEMPTED TO SHED THAT TO NOT TAKE IT AS A BURDEN, BUT TO
TAKE IT AS A POINT OF PRIDE. IT TOOK ME QUITE A WHILE TO
REALIZE THAT. AND IT TOOK ME QUITE A WHILE TO
REALIZE WHAT A GIFT ALL THESE BURDENS WERE.
BECAUSE THEY ARE SOMETHING THAT IS UNIQUE TO ULTIMATE, THAT ADDS
SOMETHING DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE TO THE WORLD.
AND THAT IS WHAT BEING CREATORS IS ABOUT.